From The Shape of Things to Come to Lord of the Rings, fantasy and science fiction throws light on our society and the problems it faces. But for the book collector, the problem is to get to grips with this huge and exciting field. Sammy Jay, Literature Specialist at Peter Harrington London, guides you through the vastness of time and space… “The human imagination is an extraordinary thing – it is the engine that has...
In its latest catalogue, Fifty Fine Items, Peter Harrington Rare Books has included some fascinating volumes with interesting inscriptions by Charles Dickens, HG Wells, DH Lawrence, Ian Fleming and Oskar Schindler. Among others the catalogue contains a superb presentation copy of Oliver Twist, inscribed by the author to his close friend William Charles Macready on the title page: “W.C. Macready from his affectionate friend Charles Dickens Christmas 1841.” Macready was an actor and theatre-manager and was...
Rare bookseller Peter Harrington is offering for sale a remarkable collection of Ian Fleming’s James Bond books. To be shown at the Masterpiece antiques event in London, the collection includes first editions signed to Winston Churchill, Robert Kennedy and others, and has been valued at £2.5m. Described as the most significant Ian Fleming collection ever to appear on the market, it contains inscribed first editions of every James Bond book published in the author’s lifetime....
The Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association’s (ABA) annual flagship event Firsts – London’s Rare Book Fair returns for its 62nd year and will be held from 7th-9th June in Battersea Park. It is one of the world’s largest independent marketplaces for rare and out-of-print books. More than 150 exhibitors from around the world will showcase rare, unique and unusual works including signed first editions, maps, museum-quality manuscripts, art and ephemera. Firsts – London’s Rare Book Fair at...
Peter Harrington, the UK’s largest rare bookseller, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year – in 1969 Peter Harrington, the founder of the business, issued the first catalogue from a stall at Chelsea Antiques Market on Kings Road. This year the business which carries his name launched its 150th catalogue on January 22nd. This special anniversary catalogue offers fifty notable books and manuscripts, from the fifteenth to the twenty-first century. Pom Harrington, Peter’s son and owner...
Established in 1969, Peter Harrington is a leading dealership in the rare and antique books market. With a stock of fine books from 15th to 20th-century literature, the firm has sourced an array of outstanding items including one of 100 copies of James Joyce’s Ulysses on Dutch paper and Shakespeare’s first folio (1623). Pom Harrington, who joined the firm in 1994, now runs operations from the company’s flagship store in Fulham Road, Chelsea. In an...
On the 200th anniversary of Emily Brontë’s birth, Peter Harrington is offering a rare collection of Brontë sister books for sale. Peter Harrington, the UK’s largest rare bookseller, is marking the momentous occasion by offering a first American edition of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, alongside an exceedingly rare collection of poems published by Emily, Charlotte and Anne Brontë and library sets of the sisters’ novels. First published in 1847, Wuthering Heights shocked readers at...
British broadcasting royalty Sir David Attenborough will open the ABA Rare Book Fair at its new London location in Battersea Park on Thursday 24 May. World-famous naturist and avid book collector Sir David will kick off the fair, which is open to the public and free of charge, at 12pm. Ahead of its inaugural event, the fair’s organisers have revealed some of the sale’s highlights. A fair for all interest levels, from serious collectors to...
To mark the 200th anniversary of Karl Marx’s birth, the U.K.’s largest rare bookseller, Peter Harrington, will offer several of his books for sale. The books will include an ‘exceptional’ rare first edition of the first volume of Marx’s great work, Das Kapital, of which only 1,000 copies were printed. Within the theoretical text—whose title translates to Capital: Critique of Political Economy—Marx famously proposed that the exploitation of labour was the motivating force of capitalism....
Signed books from George Washington’s library June 5, New York Auctioning the collection of George Washington at Sotheby’s New York, The Library of a Distinguished American Book Collector sold for $4,891,634 within pre-sale estimates. This was led by seven books from Washington’s Mount Vernon Library, all with his bold signature on their title pages and his bookplate which achieved $1,205,000. This was the largest group of books from Washington’s library to appear in a single...
